LAS VEGAS, NV - SEPTEMBER 21: Singer/actor Justin Timberlake performs onstage during the iHeartRadio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 21, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

MAN MAN

ON ONI POND. Pop groups grow up. A lot of times, it's just about them learning how to play their instruments. But Man Man's unrestrained compositional exuberance -it's a manic live act, by the way - has merely been exchanged for a jazz-noir trip on its fifth album. The gypsy-driven Philadelphia band pursues this route through, aside from the standard rock instrumentation, a healthy dose of bongos, horns, ukulele, synthesizer and celesta, a piano-looking thing that sounds like a glockenspiel. You might wish for Brian Ferry to be singing a romantic ballad like "Head On," as vocalist Honus Honus is an acquired taste tuned to the jam-band frequencies. But he works well with the syncopated groove of "King Shiv," or lyrics such as "Feel free to loot my body," and I suppose with any less rock he might fall into the trap of fey anachronism. Actually, he's starting to grow on me. - JEFF SPEVAK

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2. Part one of The 20/20 Experience was a boatload of very long but funky songs, from mellow jams to dance grooves. Producer Timbaland provided his signature booming beats. He and JT team up again for part 2, and this time, the songs are shorter but the hot grooves continue. "Take Back the Night" provides the radio entry to this CD with its pop and urban appeal. But the catchy-yet-safe tune pales in comparison to the danceable and innuendo-laced "Gimme What I Don't Know (I Want)." Jay-Z and JT team up again on the funky "Murder." It's not easy to find success after a boy band but JT's career is the prototype for how you move from teen to adult singer and do it well. -SHEILA RAYAM

TONY BENNETT

Live at the Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964. Though recorded in 1964, this fabulous live concert sat a shelf until 2011, when it was released as part of the gigantic and costly Tony Bennett - the Complete Collection. Fortunately, it's also just been released as a single release. Though recorded only two years after the singer's seminal Live at Carnegie Hall, this Vegas show features a lot of different material, and is beautifully performed and recorded. Bennett's longtime accompanist, Ralph Sharon, and his large orchestra are also in fine form. The material ranges across the spectrum of Tin Pan Alley, including "Time after Time," "From This Moment On," "Chicago" and a favorite song of mine, "Once Upon a Time." Of course, Bennett standards also make the program. I sometimes think any debate about who's the greatest lounge singer - Frank Sinatra or Bennett - is silly. I'm just glad we had both singers in our lives. - JACK GARNER

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Critics Playlist: Man Man, Justin Timberlake, Tony Bennett

These are among the acts our critics are listening to this week.

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